Where did connected learning's principles come from and how can they be applied to create effective learning environments?

Mizuko Ito is a cultural anthropologist of technology use, and is Professor in Residence, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning, and the Research Director of the Digital Media and Learning Hub at the University of California, Irvine.

Katie Salen locates her work in the field of game design and serves as the Executive Director of a non-profit called the Institute of Play that is focused on games and learning. She is also Professor of Games and Digital Media at DePaul University.

Both Mimi and Katie are Principal Investigators in the Connected Learning Research Network project Leveling Up, which investigates the learning dynamics of interest-driven online groups that support academically-relevant knowledge seeking and expertise development.

Jim Lerman's insight:

This promises to be a particularly interesting webinar; both Ito and Salen are very prominent in their fields.

Introducing this work

For the purposes of this site, the history of human interaction with information may be divided into 4 eras. The first (spoken) era ended with the invention of writing around 3000-4000 BC. The second era ended with the invention of the printing press in 1440. The third era ended, and the fourth began, with the invention of the Internet (depending how one defines its operational beginning) somewhere between 1969 and 1982. We now exist early, but decidedly, in the fourth era.

All readers may not agree with this interpretation of the history of information, especially with the division and numbering of the eras. That is not the main point. Rather, it is that humankind presently exists in an era distinctly different from the one that preceded it -- that in fact, this new era is accompanied with, and characterized by, a new - and quite different - information landscape. This new Internet information landscape will challenge, disrupt, and overpower the print-oriented one that came before it. It will not completely obliterate that which preceded it, but it will render it to a subsidiary, rather than primary, level of influence.

Just as the printing press altered humanity's relationship with information, thereby resulting in massive restructuring of political, religious, economic, social, educational, cultural, scientific, and other realms of life; so too will the advance of digital technology occasion analogous transformations in the corresponding universe of present and future human activity.

This site will concern itself primarily with how K-20 education in the US, and the people who comprise its constituencies, may be affected by this transformative movement from one era to the next. All ideas considered here appear, to me at least, to impact the learning enterprise in some way. Accordingly, this work looks at the present and the future through a lens that is predominantly, but far from entirely, a digital one. -JL

Opinions expressed, scooped, or copied in this Scoop.it topic are my own, or a result of my own judgment, and should in no way be understood to reflect those of my employer.

"The Trump administration is proposing a major overhaul of the Education Department's organizational structure, seeking to eliminate or consolidate more than a half-dozen offices at the agency, according to an internal presentation obtained by POLITICO. The overhaul, which has been in the works for months, calls for a sweeping restructuring that affects nearly every major unit of the department. It includes K-12 education, higher education, communications and legislative affairs, as well as the agency's budgeting and financial functions.

— The goal of the plan is to shrink the number of political appointees, reduce duplication and inefficiencies and create "clearer lines of reporting, responsibility and decision making," according to the document."

"This paper investigates the effect that participating in the League has had on K-12 public school district leaders in the network. Using a logic model to guide our methodology, our findings from surveys and interviews with district leaders show that membership in the League has provided both immediate and intermediate impacts in their professional development and in how they support the districts and schools they serve."

"THE BLOCKCHAIN PARTY: When everyone from Kodak to Hooters is hopping on the blockchain train, it can be easy to dismiss the technology as another fad. That hasn’t stopped a number of universities and student groups who are experimenting with putting credentials on the blockchain. Here’s what we learned about the potential, hype and risks from three panelists at our SF Edtech Meetup last week."

"Educators, administrators, and policymakers who work in higher education settings may be interested in this series of reports and materials published by EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) in June 2017. Collectively, these reports investigate "technology ownership, use patterns, and expectations as they relate to the student experience." These reports are based on data collected from institutions around the world. Included in this collection are a student report, which examines how undergraduates relate to technology (based on a survey of 43,559 students at 124 institutions in 10 countries); a faculty report (based on a survey of 13,451 faculty members at 157 institutions across seven countries); and a learning environment report. This last report examines student and faculty attitudes towards online learning and blended-learning environments, which combines online learning with traditional face-to-face classes. In addition to these three reports, this series includes infographics and almanacs of survey data."

How can schools and teachers encourage young women to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)? Let’s look at a few real-world examples of ideas and programs that have proven successful for some classroom inspiration.

"A CWRA+ PT presents a real-world situation in which an issue, problem, or conflict is identified. Students are asked to assume a relevant role to address the issue, suggest a solution, or recommend a course of action based on the information provided in the CWRA+ Document Library.

"Typically a full CWRA+ PT contains three to five documents and students have 60 minutes to complete the task. The Document Library contains a variety of reference sources, such as newspaper articles, blog posts, and other everyday materials.

"What is presented in the practice example is an abbreviated version of a PT. Nevertheless, please familiarize yourself with how the PT includes a realworld scenario, a question, and a series of documents that reflect an authentic situation.

"This example is also intended to familiarize the reader with what is expected in a high-quality response. The sample response demonstrates a student’s critical-thinking and written-communication skills."

"For the past several years the author has been reviewing instructional design theories in an attempt to identify prescriptive principles that are common to the various theories. This paper is a preliminary report of the principles that have been identified by this search. Five first principles are elaborated: (a) Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems. (b) Learning is promoted when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge. (c) Learning is promoted when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner. (d) Learning is promoted when new knowledge is applied by the learner. (e) Learning is promoted when new knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world."

Each instructional design model and theory presented in this chronology will be analyzed thoroughly, yet concisely, and accompanied by the necessary real world examples. Each week a new instructional design model will be added in the Instructional Design Models and Theories article, after being carefully researched and evaluated for its value and influence in the instructional design field. Enjoy this Instructional design journey in the history of instructional design, learn about the intriguing aspects of various instructional design theories, read about the dominant personalities that profoundly changed our sector and feel free to contribute your own thoughts and assessments about any of the subjects discussed in this section. After all, as Horace Mann put it: “Every addition to true knowledge is an addition to human power”.

THIS MULTIMEDIA INTERNET has been gaining on the text-based internet for years. But last year, the story accelerated sharply, and now audio and video are unstoppable. The most influential communicators online once worked on web pages and blogs. They’re now making podcasts, Netflix shows, propaganda memes, Instagram and YouTube channels, and apps like HQ Trivia.

"Consider the most compelling digital innovations now emerging: the talking assistants that were the hit of the holidays, Apple’s face-reading phone, artificial intelligence to search photos or translate spoken language, and augmented reality — which inserts any digital image into a live view of your surroundings.

"Together, they’re all sending us the same message: Welcome to the post-text future.

"It’s not that text is going away altogether. Nothing online ever really dies, and text still has its hits — from Susan Fowler’s whistle-blowing blog post last year about harassment at Uber to #MeToo, text was at the center of the most significant recent American social movement.

"Still, we have only just begun to glimpse the deeper, more kinetic possibilities of an online culture in which text recedes to the background, and sounds and images become the universal language.

"The internet was born in text because text was once the only format computers understood. Then we started giving machines eyes and ears — that is, smartphones were invented — and now we’ve provided them brains to decipher and manipulate multimedia."

This is a bit of inception with an article on the benefits of curation, curated into a collection on Scoop It. This article discusses the way that curation can enhance higher order thinking by allowing students understand, analyze and evaluate content matter as they curate it. It gives examples of tasks as well as way to present the information. It is a great resource for planning activities to cultivate higher order thinking.

"The OECD and the Center for Global Education at Asia Society have worked with academics, educators, and stakeholders in the global education field over several years to define global competence for primary and secondary education. The Center also has extensive experience supporting educators to integrate global competence into their teaching.

"A new publication from both organizations, entitled Teaching for Global Competence in a Rapidly Changing World, sets forward a new framework for global competence developed by OECD, which aligns closely with the definition developed by the Center for Global Education, and provides practical guidance and examples of how educators can embed global competence into their existing curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

"This publication was made possible through the generous support of Citi Foundation.

"Key Findings From the PublicationBoth the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Center for Global Education at Asia Society have identified four key components of global competence. Globally competent youth:

-investigate the world beyond their immediate environment by examining issues of local, global, and cultural significance;-recognize, understand, and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others;-communicate ideas with diverse audiences by engaging in open, appropriate, and effective interactions across cultures; and-take action for collective well-being and sustainable development both locally and globally."

"Challenge Based Learning (CBL) provides an efficient and effective framework for learning while solving real-world Challenges. The framework is collaborative and hands-on, asking all participants (students, teachers, families, and community members) to identify big ideas, ask good questions, identify and solve challenges, gain deep subject area knowledge, develop 21st century skills, and share their experience with the world.

"CBL emerged from the “Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow—Today” (ACOT2) project initiated in 2008 to identify the essential design principles of the 21st century learning environment. Starting with the ACOT2 design principles, Apple, Inc. worked with exemplary educators to develop and test Challenge Based Learning.

CBL is an adaptable framework that is constantly adapting and evolving. With each implementation new ideas surface, the framework is reviewed and the model evolves.

"Challenge Based Learning provides:

A flexible and customizable framework.

A scalable model with multiple points of entry.

A process that places all learners in charge and responsible for the learning.

An authentic environment for meeting academic standards and deep learning.

A focus on global ideas with local challenges and solutions.

An authentic connection between academic disciplines and real world experience.

A framework to develop a wide range of 21st century skills.

Purposeful use of technology.

The opportunity for learners to make a difference now.

A way to document and assess both the learning process and product.

An environment for deep reflection on teaching and learning.

"To learn more about Challenge Based Learning visit the Toolkit where you will find Stories, Resources, Research, Challenges and the new CBL User Guide."

"Not for one moment should we ever underestimate the power of one teacher to become a catalyst for serious high bar change across their school. Do so at your peril, because these agents of change are nimble, focused and driven. Driven by a passion for what they believe is right. Driven by knowing that while so much of what is being done in their school is being done with the best of intentions, too often, it is simply the ‘wrong thing being done right’.

"Sadly, many teachers see their passion for change as fruitless. They do great work, but they despair that the impact they might have is so often limited to their classroom. Even more frustratingly their energy and enthusiasm is too often hampered by myopic school leadership that may be fearful of the consequences of change and the associated loss of control and predictability."

To my mind, Robinson is one of the great educationists of our day. He speaks with brilliance, wit, and remarkable clarity regarding the most essential of topics related to education and schools. The evolution of his expressed thinking has been a wonderful gift to follow. This presentation at UCLA was made on January 28, 2018; I believe it is the most recent long form (about an hour) video of him currently available. He addresses what is required for us to create the schools we so urgently need to save the earth and humanity. -JL

The International Journal of Computer Education in Schools ( IJCEIS) is committed to increase the understanding of computer education in schools by publishing theoretical manuscripts, empirical studies and literature reviews. The journal focuses on exploring computer education in schools through pedagogical, cognitive and psychological perspectives. The target audience of the journal is; teachers, educators and professionals working in the field of computer education in schools, computer science education, technology enhanced learning, e-learning, programming, game based learning and learning through game design.

This journal began in 2017 and is issued quarterly. The current issue is the 5th. Free for download with registration. -JL

As educators, we have a singular responsibility to prepare all students for a rapidly changing job market, and to educate them to be architects of the world in which we live. In today’s economy, when the future of work is changing faster than our old models of education can accommodate, this is no easy task.

As educators, we have a singular responsibility to prepare all students for a rapidly changing job market, and to educate them to be architects of the world in which we live. In today’s economy, when the future of work is changing faster than our old models of education can accommodate, this is no easy task.

High-quality, expert-reviewed performance tasks and the resources teachers, leaders, and policymakers need to support the use of performance assessment for meaningful learning.

Jim Lerman's insight:

An outstanding collection of resources on Performance Assessment including:

Performance Tasks

Portfolio Frameworks

Learning Progressions & Frameworks

Developing Performance Tasks & Rubrics

Scoring Performance Tasks & Designing Instruction

Policy & Research

Curriculum Units

A teacher review of the Resource Bank:

"The Performance Assessment Resource Bank puts developed resources into the hands of people who are more than ready to use them. They've created a peer-reviewed archive, based in solid research and connected to 21st century standards, that lets districts, schools and teachers do what we need to do: Let kids use what they've learned to show us what they can do."

He was a long-shot candidate with no prior political experience, and so very few people noticed when Aaron Coleman announced he was running for governor of Kansas last July. Those he told did not take him seriously — he could not even vote in the last election.

But in Kansas, there are no minimum age restrictions to run and at 17, Mr. Coleman is one of six teenagers who have announced their bids in the last year to become chief executive of the state.

Now, amid significant interest in their novel candidacies, some state lawmakers are clamoring to reform the eligibility process. The attention could create a carnival-like note to the race, and some lawmakers are calling for clearer election guidelines.

You could write volumes—and some have—contrasting the virtues and liabilities of old and new Instructional Design models. Perhaps because so much theory has emerged in recent years, the following article offers a few practical examples of how my own team continues to utilize them.

All businesses have a life cycle, but sometimes it becomes just too hard to take a business beyond the startup phase, in order to progress further along that cycle. Where this occurs, it is important for a business owner to know when to continue to perservere, and when to quit. This interesting article provides some good information, that may prove helpful, if you are ever faced with having to make such a decision.

Look up from this screen right now. Take a look around. On a bus. In a cafe. Even at a stoplight. Chances are, most of the other people in your line of sight are staring at their phones or other devices. And if they don’t happen to have one out, it is certainly tucked away in a pocket or bag.

But are we truly addicted to technology? And what about our kids? It’s a scary question, and a big one for scientists right now. Still, while the debate rages on, some doctors and technologists are focusing on solutions.

“There is a fairly even split in the scientific community about whether ‘tech addiction’ is a real thing,” says Dr. Michael Bishop. He runs Summerland, which he calls “a summer camp for screen overuse,” for teens.

Right now, it's impossible to buy a smartphone you can be certain was produced entirely ethically. Any label on the packaging wouldn't stand a chance of explaining the litany of factors that go into its construction. The problem is bigger than one company, NGO or trade policy, and will require everyone's effort to make things better.

"Fairphone isn't 100 percent fair," says Fabian Huhne, "and we can't solve everything at the same time." But he's optimistic: "If the industry moves in [a more positive] direction, it's going to get a lot easier," but it requires "transparency and knowledge." Armed with that, hopefully consumers in the future can pressure the industry to get ever closer to the ideal.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.